Monday, May 29, 2006

Tom Robinson, a University of Miami accounting professor, has become the first man outside of Asia to prove his descent from Genghis Khan. His Y chromosome is an exact match with the Mongol warlord's for eight of nine markers (one mutation is to be expected over 800 years).

He has little in common with his infamous ancestor. He is not a keen horseman. Though a Republican, his politics are moderate. And while Genghis Khan may have fathered thousands of children, Professor Robinson and his wife, Linda, have no offspring.

“I’m not sure we have too many similarities,” he said. “I obviously haven’t conquered any countries, and though I’ve headed up accounting groups, I’ve done nothing as big as Genghis Khan.

“I’m proud to have such an interesting ancestor. I’ve been reading a lot about him since I found out about the link, and it does seem that his reputation is a little unfair.

“He conquered a lot of countries, but he had a pretty good system of government.” [Link]